There is, or (rather) was, a class of hotels that catered to folks travelling by train. These railroad hotels were located near train stations or close to the railroad tracks and in some cases were part of the train station. St. Louis's Union Station is a prime example of the co-located hotel and station. Since I'm a train fan, I've stayed at a few old railroad hotels.
IZAAK WALTON INN, ESSEX, MONTANA (GLACIER N.P.)
Okay, I lied. Not all of these hotels were designed for travelers. The Izaak Walton Inn started as sort of a bunk house or dormitory for rail workers on the Great Northern Railway and that stretch of tracks around Glacier National Park needed a lot of work. They also have a small switching yard there and some resident locomotives that help move the trains over the mountain pass. As far as I can tell, there really isn't anything else at Essex besides the Essex Inn. The place is located just outside of Glacier National Park and is serviced by the parks touring car concession so they come and pick you up for the tour and bring you back when you are done.
The Izaak Walton Inn is a "flag stop" on Amtrak's Empire Builder route which means they will stop for you with advance notice but won't usually stop as a regular daily thing. I assume that during summer there are pretty frequent stops. They stopped at least once while we were staying at the inn.
The Izaak Walton Inn is rustic and was never intended to be anything else but it has sort of a casual elegance to it. Part of it's charm is that it is isolated. Don't expect your cell phone to work and they didn't have Internet when we were there. While this is relaxing to some, it is frustrating to others...especially thirteen year old girls. There is a pay phone in the lobby but it is usually in the control of pre-teen and teenage kids complaining to their friends that they are practically being held hostage in this horrible place in the mountains. Do your kids a favor and leave them at home. We placated our daughter by getting her a single room all by herself across the hall and away from the sound of the frequent freight trains that go by. That is an added feature...being close to the main railroad line there will be lots of trains going by and lots of train noise...day and night. Sleep can be a challenge so bring ear plugs. If you are a train buff you will love it and some people, I understand, can identify locomotives by the sound.
Rooms are spare but adequate. They have added private bath accommodations to the rooms and in some cases the set up is a little ingenious. The walls are pine and the decor is Burlington-Northern. We figured that the room would accommodate three of us with our daughter on the spare convertible bed. Nope...the spare bed was almost useless. We opted to move her across the hall and, surprisingly, they had a vacant room. An expensive solution but worth it in the long run.
As I said, the Izaak Walton Inn is somewhat isolated so you will eat most of your meals at the hotel restaurant. Again, think rustic but also 'home made' and inventive. We were happy with the food but you are sort of a captive and the prices were a little high. Before you complain, bear in mind the isolation and cost to drive to the next town for meals. The Izaak Walton Inn is not one of the grand national park lodges but it is a unique experience and it is close enough to Glacier National Park to see wildlife and enjoy the area. We saw mountain goats a short distance from the inn and were able to explore the park on our own as well as on the tour.
THE IRON HORSE HOTEL, BLACKWATER, MISSOURI
Blackwater, Missouri, you ask? Yes...Blackwater is a tiny town located west of Boonville, Missouri...um...west of Columbia, Missouri...um...sort of like between St. Louis and Kansas City. You have to want to be there....and I suggest you consider it. Blackwater is an old town filled with those antique stores that you hear about in legends on Antiques Roadshow. The town has a small artists' colony and is sometimes a venue for ragtime piano performances (Scott Joplin lived in Sedalia...down the road a ways). Arrow Rock (and the Arrow Rock Lyceum Theater) is a few minutes away as is Boonville and the local casino crowd. You can get to Columbia and a couple wineries in about twenty minutes. So, Blackwater is a good place to stay if you are interested in that kind of stuff.
The Iron Horse Hotel is a real old-time railroad hotel located about twenty-five feet from the tracks. They supply the ear plugs. Go out the front door and turn right and walk across the tracks and you are in a farmer's field....keep walking and you'll fall in the river. If you turn left and you hit the antique stores. There is a small diner across the street but the Iron Horse has a great restaurant (think lamb and lobster) and you get breakfast with your room. It was not busy when we were there. In fact, they told us to lock up when we went to bed because we were the only ones there...a big responsibility.
All the rooms in the hotel are furnished in antiques. Some rooms are themed and all have names. All the rooms seemed to be over-sized for an old hotel so I wonder if there were alterations made sometime in the past. I believe all rooms had adjoining baths so those were added at some point. We did not eat at the restaurant but it has a very good reputation. As I said, breakfast is served with your room but they have a cheery breakfast room set aside for that purpose. I understand that there are new owners but the place used to have a distinct New Orleans flavor. Our breakfast was biegnets and New Orleans coffee. With the change in ownership there might be some changes from this description. I know they are now doing mystery dinner theater nights occasionally.
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| Union Pacific steam locomotive at Blackwater |
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